


nonetheless, we survive

by markothy



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Space, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, expect rating to go up as chapters are added, specific characters and side ships will be added as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-29 01:52:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12620484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/markothy/pseuds/markothy
Summary: Veritas 9: A top of the line interstellar research facility, located in a lowly populated quadrant of the universe, licensed and commissioned by EXO home planet administration.Kim Jongin is assigned as an apprentice on Veritas 9 under Dr. Zhang Yixing, head of the Department of Interstellar Biology and Agriculture.Things he does expect: collecting ship slugs, long talks with his roommate, and completing his final year of education.Things he does not expect: meeting a long forgotten childhood memory at the same time.(in other words: chankai space au ffffheck yea)





	nonetheless, we survive

**Author's Note:**

> howdy there partners  
> i'm a lil nervous because it's my first time (that's a lie, second time) posting something on ao3, but i wanted to give it a shot anyway  
> i intend this to be a series focusing on chankai in space that was born from this lil prologue drabble; other characters and side ships will be tagged as they appear!  
> this is only the prologue, so i simply ask for patience because i'm also a suffering college student and might not be able to update on a routinely schedule  
> feedback, advice/tips, & constructive criticism is welcome!
> 
> p.s. my twitter is [@staarphase](https://twitter.com/staarphase) if you wanna hop on over and interact with me. i sorely need it?

     “Hey…” whispered a low voice from beside him. Jongin turned to glance at the boy perched on the swing next to him. The boy, not much older than himself, was gaping at the night sky that surrounded them in a state of awe. Just as Jongin was about to speak up, to prompt the other to continue his thought, the mop-headed boy started again, eyes never leaving the star-studded sky. “Do you think there’s.. I don’t know, like, life? Out there?”  
     

     “Out where? In space?” Jongin asked, to which the other nodded. He was quiet for a moment as he thought about it. Everything seemed so vast, the distance from star to star a leap too far for the average ‘craft. Even if there was life elsewhere in the universe, would it even be possible to interact? “I mean, probably…”  
     

     The boy, who had been focusing intently on the stars above up until that point, bounced in his canvas swing seat as he turned to grab and shake Jongin’s shoulders. Where his contemplative pout had been, a radiant, lopsided grin bloomed.  
     

     “Really? I’m so glad you think so too!” The boy’s eyes sparkled, as if his excitement had somehow manifested within them. Jongin reciprocated with a shy smile, overwhelmed by the sudden contact, as the boy let go and leaned back in his swing, hands gripping the clinking chains.  
   

     Not much else was said for a while after. A soft hush fell over the two, leaving them to their inner monologues. No words were exchanged, and aside from the creaking frame of the swingset, or the itching buzz from a nearby streetlight, all was silent. Jongin’s eyes wandered, from the sky, to the boy lazily swinging next to him, to the ground where his feet made patterns in the wood chips and dirt, and so on, until they finally rested again on the other.  
     

     Jongin could still feel the boy’s presence beside him without having to look. It was hard not to, really, since the other was already growing taller than him. There was something about him, though, that was much bigger than his flesh and bones body. Something about the way his curly hair would tremble whenever he fell into a laughing fit, his eyes crinkling into slivers. Something about the way his excitement could never be contained, how it made Jongin marvel at how someone could hold so much passion, so much fire. He was unique and pleasantly overwhelming, even when he was simply swinging beside Jongin, as he was currently, mouthing out praises whenever a shooting star happened to streak the sky.

     Suddenly grunting, the boy recklessly hoisted himself out of the swing and proceeded to scream into the night air, shocking Jongin out of his reverie.

     “I’m going to be up there someday.” He heard above him, raising his head to see the curly haired boy standing triumphantly before him, hand pointed towards the sky like he was hailing some taxi in New York City.

     “You plan on dying soon?” Jongin snickered.

     “I’m going to be up there,” the other continued, deciding not to hear his sarcastic quip. “The pilot of my own ship, the captain of my own crew…” The boy made his way to the merry-go-round, jumping his way up to the center post where he stood and shouted, “History books will remember one name, and one name only, when they talk about the greatest explorer in the galaxy. Wait, no! _Universe_! Park Chanyeol!”

※

     This impromptu speech, childish as it sounded, was the same speech Jongin replayed over and over as he finally crawled into bed that night. With the moon glaring through the bedside window, the majority of his bedroom had been shrouded in shadow and light. Something inside him wanted to believe that Chanyeol could do it, he thought, could one day reach as far across the universe as one could imagine and then some. Hell, knowing him for as long as Jongin did, he knew that he’d find a way to go farther yet. But… that same something inside Jongin couldn’t bear the thought of Chanyeol leaving.

     Jongin shook his head, leaning it against the window frame as he gazed up at the stars. It was selfish, of course, but he realized that wherever Chanyeol went in the universe, he wanted to be there too.

**Author's Note:**

> man this really looked longer in my google drive than it does here i'm so sorry
> 
> but like, hang in there, because baek and dae have their own radio station and i'm mcfuckin stoked about it


End file.
